The understanding of will in Ash'arism and Schopenhauer's thought

The main purpose of the thesis is to make a comparative analysis by examining Schopenhauer's will philosophy with the understanding of will in the science of kalam. In this study, the thoughts of the will and freedom of will of the theological sects that emerged historically in the thought of kalam were examined through a literature review. Theological approaches have basically discussed the subject of will in three different categories. According to the first approach, man has no free will. Human beings can only act and act as much as God wills and God allows. This view has been strongly advocated in the Cebbriye school. The more moderate advocate is the Ash'ari tradition. The second view is represented by Mu‟tezile thought and there is complete freedom in human actions. Otherwise, a moral responsibility cannot be assumed in what people do. At the same time, man has the power to choose with the mind given by God. The third view is advocated by Mâtürîdî scholars. According to them, human behavior is under the influence of the partial will of God given to human beings on the one hand. On the other hand, human choices depend on total will, as God appreciates the existence of will in human beings. Schopenhauer's ideas can be considered separate from the idealist and realist ideas that prevail in the modern Western tradition of thought. Schopenhauer placed more value on intuition, character, and other irrational motivations rather than reason, as opposed to the Western enlightenment's explanations of human behavior that put the mind to the fore. Schopenhauer also sought to replace the mainstream deist thought culture of his age with his ataist-based thought. In this sense, according to Schopenhauer, the cause of all events is above all and the power that can control everything is absolute will. Will controls and directs everything in the universe, including human behavior, in accordance with its purpose. Therefore, one cannot speak of freedom of will. Explanations towards the will in Kalam thought and Schopenhauer's philosophy are parallel at some points. However, the explanations made in reference to God in Kalamic thought are made based on the phenomenon of will as a metaphysical phenomenon in Schopenhauer. However, it is seen that the concept of will and its extensions and explanations of the science of kalam meet at many common points with Schopenhauer's explanations. The thesis study first dealt with the concept of will in theological thought and then included Schopenhauer's thoughts. As a result of the research, it has been determined that there are common and opposite views between the two views. Keywords: Kalam, Schopenhauer, will, freedom of will, self-determination, absolute will, partial will, determinism,